AACE INTERVIEW: Dr. Alan Ao / Cannabis Pharmacist/Entrepreneur
Alan Ao
Similar to current multi-state cannabis operators, big box retail pharmacies that exist on every corner have been trying to squeeze the little guys out for quite some time. The only difference in the cannabis industry is the commodity that's being provided.
Alan Ao advocates and supports patient health by educating patients on plant medicines, a system of healing that has existed for millenniums that has been set aside by the abundant use and access to pharmaceuticals. Today on AACE we feature a warrior for alternative choices, Alan Ao and we support him in his effort to provide access in the state of New Jersey.
Social equity is embedded in the cannabis culture and communities, we have been fighting for a place at the table in this emerging economy, legislation has been written to support all those that wish to enter but most importantly to those who have been affected by the war on equality. How do you see social equity for Asian Americans?
As a first-generation Taiwanese-American working in the cannabis space, I quickly realized that like many other industries, it feels like we exist almost as the minority of minorities.
Yes, it’s true that the AAPI community has not been disproportionately affected by the war on equality in law and economics like black and brown communities, but we are similarly under-represented in c-suites notoriously composed of predominantly white men.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion language in the cannabis industry have begun to feel like a marketing tool for gaining mainstream acceptance rather than actually helping minority populations. On paper and in written speeches, the words feel right. Politicians, legislators, and even cannabis prohibitionists would be considered cowards if they outwardly denounced initiatives supporting these measures, but when it comes to execution, where’s the accountability?
“A rising tide lifts all boats” is a phrase that I hear thrown around constantly in this industry. Meanwhile, there are some paddling wooden canoes while others cruise on 200-foot yachts.
My (probably unpopular) opinion: I personally don’t care for a seat at “the table”. The acknowledgment that a table even exists is admitting there’s some sort of unspoken hierarchy based on power, money, or status in order to participate in the conversation.
That is the opposite of equity and inclusion.
That’s perpetuating a system designed to make a few wins and the majority lose. The conversation should instead be shifted to how this table can be broken down and repurposed to build an ark big enough to equally include diverse crowds to sail the rough seas together.
My vision of social equity for the AAPI community in the cannabis industry is to loudly advocate for initiatives and resources geared towards helping minorities as a whole. As a great example, in New Jersey, the adult-use regulations released earlier this year dictate the creation of an Office of Minority, Disabled Veterans, and Women Cannabis Business Development to support these underrepresented populations as part of our rollout process.
However, we must delicately tiptoe the fine line between utilizing opportunities afforded to us as minorities and consciously ensuring the spotlight is not taken away from groups most severely impacted by enforcement and incarceration of cannabis-related offenses. The conversation about building generational wealth started by previous generations coming to this country as immigrants in search of better opportunities for their families needs to be embraced, reimagined and continued in full stride.
My ask to the AAPI community in support of black and brown communities: We should be humble enough to walk behind them and learn from legacy operators who put their lives and families at risk paving the way for a legalized industry. We should be bold enough to walk side-by-side with them to simultaneously advocate for changes we want to see in this still newly developing industry. We should be brave enough to stand in front of them and use our networks and influence to propel them forward with us. Lastly, we should be strong enough to lift them on our shoulders and proudly celebrate their successes as if they were our own.
That’s just one small step in the right direction.
Tell us about growing up and first learning about cannabis? What led you to this juncture in your journey to help others with plant wellness choices?
I don’t know if this is the norm, but in my experience, the Asian community and households I grew up around leaned on extremely conservative life principles. I was admittedly a product of the antiquated Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program in adolescence as well.
Cannabis was lumped into the same conversation as hard drugs like heroin and cocaine.
The natural association was that drugs = bad; cannabis = drug; therefore, cannabis = bad. Simple as that.
My thoughts on cannabis began shifting in college at Rutgers University when I realized that some of my heaviest cannabis-consuming classmates were able to proficiently get through and even excel in school. It was the first time that I realized maybe the lazy stoner stereotype was exactly that - a stereotype.
In my professional career as a pharmacist, I was on the front lines of the opioid crisis witnessing classic textbook horror stories about addiction and manipulative practices in line with drug-seeking behavior from my own patients. I saw the negative impact that pharmaceutical drugs had on my patients, and instead of doctors DE-prescribing, the solution was almost always to increase dosages or add on additional medications.
I was also exposed to different forms of alternative and natural medicine. Pairing the two worlds of cannabis and alternative medicine together seemingly made perfect sense. More clinical studies began to emerge supporting the use of cannabis in various medical conditions. After doing my own research learning about the endocannabinoid system and seeing the multiple pathways that it’s linked to physiological systems in our bodies, I was blown away!
In 2017, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine published a landmark research paper supporting the medicinal uses of cannabis. Serendipitously, New Jersey’s Phil Murphy was running for Governor and his platform involved legalizing cannabis in his first 100 days in office. That obviously didn’t happen, but the stars seemed to be aligning in New Jersey and I knew I wanted to bring the world of pharmacy that I knew together with this emerging market.
I took a leap of faith, head first, and was afforded the opportunity to work in a medical cannabis dispensary where my partner and I were the only registered pharmacists working in this type of setting within New Jersey.
The success of an education program begins when a person decides to open their minds to new concepts. How did you build that trust and confidence with your counseling programs for patients, dispensaries and patient studies?
I think I cover this enough with the “changed minds” question below.
Can you share an experience of how you “changed” minds?
There are too many to list! It's impossible to educate without advocacy to a certain degree.
I've spoken to physicians, patients, township officials, and numerous naysayers in my travels and realized it's extremely difficult to change minds in this day and age.
My approach: I don’t ask "how do you feel about cannabis?" Instead, I ask them to tell me "why do you feel the way you do about cannabis?". The answer provides insight on emotional root causes and allows me to tailor my approach to the individual person.
As advocates, it's not our job to project our personal beliefs onto people and try to convince them that cannabis can be used as medicine or that consumption should be normalized. We should aspire to examine their perspectives about the way they feel towards cannabis and a great approach to that situation comes with a brief history lesson.
Many people don’t realize that cannabis was a common part of life used as a textile and medicine prior to the 1930s. After cannabis became enveloped in racially charged and politically motivated agendas, the resulting federal Schedule I designation has severely limited the ability to conduct cannabis research and caused huge fallouts in policy and public sentiment.
With broader access to regulated cannabis products sweeping across the nation and people realizing that the sky hasn’t fallen, the conversation will get progressively easier. As this industry continues to collect hard data points across numerous professions, topics like public health safety, DWI outcomes, and statistically significant clinical research will provide stronger pathways to “changing” people’s minds.
Your plans for the Vigor Dispensary focuses on patient health and education, how do you see Vigor set itself apart from a retail dispensary?
And why did you decide that the 55+ age group was your target market?
I believe that my background as a retail pharmacist working in independent pharmacy settings has made my approach unique in the cannabis industry. While retail will still act as retail at the end of the day, the health component and documented medicinal benefits that cannabis provides involve a much-needed human component to the mix that I haven’t seen fully harnessed yet.
To put things into perspective: people have a choice to visit any pharmacy where they’ll receive the same exact medications regardless of where they go. So why do millions of people still choose Mom-and-Pop independent pharmacies, aside from supporting their local businesses? It's because of the personalized care and specialized services that smaller operators provide.
The pharmacy world has been enduring its own David and Goliath story for the past few decades. Similar to current multi-state cannabis operators, big-box retail pharmacies that exist on every corner have been trying to squeeze the little guys out for quite some time. Independent pharmacies continue to thrive because of their willingness to provide exceptional patient care, unique goods and services, and most importantly develop deep relationships that extend beyond the four walls of the pharmacy and into the community they support.
The only difference in the cannabis industry is the commodity that's being provided.
The mindframe and health-forward mentality that I'll be approaching this venture with as a future dispensary operator - and I encourage others to follow suit - is that we should not be here to simply sell somebody a product. We have an opportunity to educate and direct consumers on how to integrate cannabis into their everyday lifestyles as an additional health modality. The end result is still a sale, but we’ve managed to positively impact this person’s life and created a loyal customer.
Providing an environment where dispensary workers can educate consumers, get to know them on a first-name basis as well as product preferences, and emphasize the concept of intentional consumption translates the shopping experience into something closer to a second-generation independent pharmacy rather than a visit to a “pot-shop”.
The number of engagement opportunities that are present for the 55+ community is boundless. During my pharmacy tenure, the patients that truly valued the wisdom and advice of professionals were the ones that were taking multiple medications concomitantly or suffering from various complex medical conditions. There also lies a huge underserved population that can benefit from cannabis! In my opinion, it takes a more professional, refined approach to make sure consumers are armed with the knowledge they need to succeed and keep coming back to the dispensary.
How do you think cannabis will be able to help our aging community and how will we reach them to educate?
Have you ever had to teach a parent how to use a new smartphone? Have you ever tried convincing an older person to try a new type of cuisine?
The aging population has lived long enough to know what their personal preferences are and what they believe. Aka: they can be stubborn AF.
The silver lining that unfortunately unites us as humans is that every single person will experience pain to some degree as they get older. Whether it be in the form of arthritis, back/hip pain, or nerve pains, the discussions about maintaining and improving quality of life through pain control will be the segue to normalizing cannabis consumption in the elderly population.
These conversations will begin expressing themselves in the form of dinner gatherings, karaoke parties, and power-walks through the neighborhoods. Aging communities tremendously value word of mouth from their trusted friends and networks. Being able to slowly infiltrate that network through objective assessments, tailored education, and wrapping it into a personalized transaction to take home is a great place to start.
I don't enjoy labeling and generalizing groups of people, but the baby boomers were the generation directly and most severely impacted by the Reefer Madness era. Many have entrenched themselves in cannabis stigmatization, but once a person’s pain becomes unmanageable and impacts normal daily activities, the tone of the conversation changes.
Lastly, a question about how do you relax at the end of a long day?
The life of an entrepreneur is not easy while raising a young family! My personal cannabis consumption (usually edibles) for sleep has been reduced significantly since having 2 kids. Lately, a 90's pop-rock playlist and a good book is the best way to unwind!
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